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Israeli students to get $2,000 to spread state propaganda on Facebook

The National Union of Israeli Students (NUIS) has become a full-time partner in the Israeli government’s efforts to spread its propaganda online and on college campuses around the world.

NUIS has launched a program to pay Israeli university students $2,000 to spread pro-Israel propaganda online for 5 hours per week from the “comfort of home.”

The union is also partnering with Israel’s Jewish Agency to send Israeli students as missionaries to spread propaganda in other countries, for which they will also receive a stipend.

This active recruitment of Israeli students is part of Israel’s orchestrated effort to suppress the Palestinian solidarity movement under the guise of combating “delegitimization” of Israel and anti-Semitism.

The involvement of the official Israeli student union as well as Haifa University, Tel Aviv University, Ben-Gurion University and Sapir College in these state propaganda programs will likely bolster Palestinian calls for the international boycott of Israeli academic institutions.

Paying students to spread Israeli propaganda online

This is our opportunity, as Israeli students, to provide hasbara [state propaganda] that is correct and balanced, to help in the struggle against the delegitimization of the State of Israel and against hatred of Jews in the world.

The project seeks to take advantage of the fact that “Many students in Israel master the Internet and are proficient at using the Internet and social networking and various sites and are required to write and express themselves in English.”

The paid scholarship will allow them to get training and then work from home for five hours per week for a year to “refute” what it calls “misinformation” about Israel on social networking sites.

Among the stated goals of the scholarships is “to deepen and expand hasbara activities of students in the State of Israel.” The document explains:

The Internet allows uncontrolled access to content from marginal groups and therefore can influence many audiences who are exposed to such information, particularly young people who are more easily influenced.

The Internet, then, is used as a major tool for the dissemination of anti-Semitism, hatred of Israel and of Jews and thus the Internet is also the place to battle against such sites, pull the ground from under them and to provide reliable and balanced information.

Work from the “comfort of home”

The NUIS program document explains:

After training, the student will begin his activities. The student will do the activities in the comfort of his home, where every week he will be obligated to about 5 hours of activities for a period of one calendar year (not academic year). Students will be paid a total of NIS 7,500 [$2,000] to perform the tasks of the project, at least 5 hours weekly for a total of 240 hours of activities under the project umbrella.

What is completely missing from the program is any indication that criticism of Israel could be valid. Rather the National Union of Israeli Students apparently seeks to indoctrinate Israeli students that every criticism of Israel is “hate” and “anti-Semitism” and that the Internet should be seen as a battlefield on which they are foot soldiers.

Using e-learning tools for government propaganda

An interesting aspect of the NUIS program is that it uses the common open source virtual learning environment Moodle as its interface with program participants. This interface can be found at students.digitalchange.co.il.

Whereas Moodle was designed for education – to spread mind-opening learning beyond the constraints of geography – the Israeli innovation here is to use it for mind-narrowing propaganda: getting students to be uncritical, to not think for themselves, but rather to spread Israel’s state-sponsored propaganda.

See the world, spread more propaganda

NUIS has also partnered with the Jewish Agency, the Israeli state body that encourages Jews from around the world to settle on stolen Palestinian land, to spread propaganda on college campuses around the world.

For the first time in Israel – a unique, world-encompassing scholarship, in cooperation between the Student Union and the Jewish Agency.

Every year the Jewish Agency of Israel sends approximately 150 emissaries to various places around the world - North America, England, South Africa, Australia, Germany, Italy and South America, who engage in Jewish education and hasbara in three main streams - Hillel emissaries (to campuses around North America), community emissaries and youth movement emissaries.

Training for these overseas missions for successful applicants will take place at Haifa University, Tel Aviv University, Ben-Gurion University and Sapir College, after which the would-be missionaries “will set off for a one-year mission in the various Jewish communities around the world, and will also receive a scholarship of up to NIS 5,000 [$1300].”

Applications are open to Israeli citizens who have lived in the country for three years, those who have completed service in the Israeli army, and those who speak foreign languages, among other criteria.

A student union in the service of the state

In most countries student unions often find themselves at odds with state authorities, fighting for the rights of students. But it would appear that Israel’s “student union” does not so much represent students and fight for their rights, but represents the state in the state’s efforts to recruit students to do its political bidding.

In this sense, the NUIS functions in a very similar way to Israel’s “trade union” the Histadrut.

Who funds NUIS and what role do they play in government propaganda efforts?

Translation: Students in the Struggle against Anti-Semitism on the Internet

National Union of Israeli Students

Students in the Struggle against Anti-Semitism on the Internet

Vision and background:

The National Union of Israeli Students [NUIS] unites about 300,000 students from all over the country. NUIS promotes the goals and objectives of students, guards the status of students and impacts the public agenda in all aspects from the perspective that the future generation should be a full partner in shaping the Israeli reality of tomorrow.

For young people the Internet is first of all a tool for work and study. Many students in Israel master the Internet and are proficient at using the Internet and social networking and various sites and are required to write and express themselves in English. Like other web users, students encounter anti-Semitic websites disseminating hatred of Israel and hatred of Jews on the Internet.

In recent years use of the Internet for work, finding information and leisure has become accepted and common all over the world. Alongside the development of the Internet and its use, websites have developed that disseminate anti-Semitic and false information that one could not find a publisher [for] in the pre-Internet age.

The Internet allows uncontrolled access to content from marginal groups and therefore can influence many audiences who are exposed to such information, particularly young people who are more easily influenced.

The Internet, then, is used as a major tool for the dissemination of anti-Semitism, hatred of Israel and of Jews and thus the Internet is also the place to battle against such sites, pull the ground from under them and to provide reliable and balanced information.

In the present reality, in which the Internet has become a key tool in spreading anti-Semitism, and given that most students use this medium, it is requested that Israeli students will be the ones to lead the battle against hostile websites.

The following proposed scholarships will allow students to map the anti-Semitic websites and to deal with what is said on them. During the project students can work on social networks to refute misinformation comprehensively available throughout this medium.

This is our opportunity, as Israeli students, to provide hasbara [state propaganda] that is correct and balanced, to help in the struggle against the delegitimization of the State of Israel and against hatred of Jews in the world.

Project goals

To deal with, struggle [against] and reduce dissemination of anti-Semitism on the Internet;

To deepen and expand hasbara activities of students in the State of Israel;

To increase the awareness and involvement of the National Union of Israeli Students, local student associations, and students in general about what is happening in the world concerning Jews and the status of Israel.

Student activities

After training, the student will begin his activities. The student will do the activities in the comfort of his home, where every week he will be obligated to about 5 hours of activities for a period of one calendar year (not academic year). Students will be paid a total of NIS 7,500 [$2,000] to perform the tasks of the project, at least 5 hours weekly for a total of 240 hours of activities under the project umbrella.

The scholarship will be given to the student at three periods; in April, in August at the NUIS scholarship award ceremony, and in November.

Students will be admitted into the project only if they are members of student union at their institution of higher learning, provided such institution is a member of NUIS. Applications are made through the NUIS website www.nuis.co.il at the scholarships page.

Translation: Student Union and Jewish Agency scholarship

Shacham Scholarship - Jewish Agency and Student Union

A scholarship which is a mission - the Jewish Agency and Student Union

Shacham - Mission, Education, Action

For the first time in Israel – a unique, world-encompassing scholarship, in cooperation between the Student Union and the Jewish Agency.

Every year the Jewish Agency of Israel sends approximately 150 emissaries to various places around the world - North America, England, South Africa, Australia, Germany, Italy and South America, who engage in Jewish education and hasbara in three main streams - Hillel emissaries (to campuses around North America), community emissaries and youth movement emissaries.

The scholarship introduces program participants with content relevant to the position, in a 12-meeting course, which is held every other weeks and deals with various issues:

Jewish identity

Israeli society

Tikkun Olam [the religious obligation to repair the world - or make it better]

Hasbara skills

History of the Nation of Israel in modern times

and more…

The course is experiential and includes lectures from the very best lecturers in the country, an active and reflective workshop, an educational experience of collaboration and coping both intellectually and emotionally with a variety of different topics.
In August 2012, course graduates will set off for a one-year mission in the various Jewish communities around the world, and will also receive a scholarship of up to NIS 5,000.

The course will be held in four regional centers:

South: Sapir College/Ben Gurion [University]

Center: Tel Aviv University

Jerusalem: the Hebrew University

North: the Haifa University.

Eligibility for application:

Students in their last years of study for an academic degree;

Holding Israeli citizenship and having lived in Israel for at least 3 years.

Having completed military or national service.

With good command of English/Russian/Spanish/French/Portuguese/or other languages.

Having experience as camp counselors, teachers, and the ability to speak publicly.

Having an affinity to Judaism and the Israeli culture and familiarity with Diaspora Jewry.

Admittance to the program is conditional upon passing the screening process, which will be held in November-December 2011 at the various campuses.

I don't see what's wrong with students engaging in social media, which creates dialogue and exchange of opinions. Student are probably the best people (and most open minded) to build consensus with. The fact that they are paid minimum wage is irrelevant. You speak of propaganda, students being taught not to think for themselves, but you don't present any elements in your article to support this claim, and you are very quick to judge the intentions and results. Why not give them the benefit of the doubt? Why not welcome the opportunity to engage Israeli students? You say you want to end the Israeli-Palestinian impasse. Social media is a way to circumvent politicians and bridge people, nations. Israelis and Palestinians are ultimately partners in peace. Don't be a hater, Ali.

A perfect example of concern trolling. Of course all the evidence is there and pretty clear, but no it’s me, I’m the “hater.” Fact that Israeli students are being paid to spread hasbara is all just perfectly innocent and about “dialogue.” Zzzzzzzz.

You all immediately delegitimize my opinion because it is different from yours. It's easy to see the worst in people when you want to. All I'm saying is be open to the possibility this could help the peace process..

And NO, I'm not an NUIS student. I am not getting paid to write this, but if any of you feel the urge to give me $2000, don't let me stop you.. :D

I have noticed that whenever someone uses the word "delegitimize" they are usually spouting talking points. Israeli propaganda always uses a set bunch of words to best communicate their propaganda. "demonize" and "delegitimize" are two of them.

Stop using talking points and respond with your own views. Stop being a pod person. Return the $2000 you got to become a low grade and low class propagandist.

If you, for instance, look at the comments under opinion pieces at aljazeera.com you will see that being an Israeli shill involves an advanced aptitude for regurgitating lies, but very little independent thought.

I'd like other views on this - as the sources quoted don't seem to match to the assertion made on this blog. If you take the source document quoted and copy it into Google Translate (obviously a machine translation is never going to be brilliant, but it rarely carries a bias when you just want an idea of the document) you get a different interpretation of the project.

The document talks of "Scholarship project proposed below will enable students to map the anti-Semitic Web sites, And deal with what is said in them." I can find no mention of a similar paragraph in the translation given - not even a differently worded one.

If this were a project to map and contribute to/rebut homophobic or sexist websites I'd equally support it's aims.

Paying people to spam and troll on the Internet has been going on for many years. What's described here is nothing new. It's one more way for a few rich people to control everyone else. Of perhaps more concern is research toward creating computer programs which will do the spamming and trolling, leading to the possibility that open-comment web sites like this one will be flooded with propaganda, destroying the possibility of genuine discussion.

Drowning discussions in drivel is a well-established damage-limitation method of the defenders of the indefensible. Yesterday I came across an article about a whistleblower in the Church of Scientology where a number of avatars, all with the same writing style, left screeds of pseudo-metaphysical garbage that had absolutely nothing to do with the subject. I have seen the same behaviour from avatars undoubtedly connected with the US government.

This reminds me a lot of the student who is an Emerson Fellow with StandWithUs, and has been making efforts to undermine the work of Philly BDS in Philadelphia.
Article in the Jewish Exponent: http://www.jewishexponent.com/...

That article also mentions the gathering of over 20 local Zionist organizations, which was coordinated by the Jewish Federation of Great Philadelphia. Their press release: http://www.jewishfederations.o...

I have been commenting on the Comment Is Free pages of The Guardian newspaper website for some time now, and become greatly concerned that such "astroturfing" is occurring. There is a specific organisation set up to control debate in CIF, it is called
CIF Watch.

The managing editor is a guy previously from NGO Monitor. CIF Watch describes itself as voluntary, but one wonders if it really is. It's aims include

"cease with the obsessive focus on the Israel-Arab conflict in CiF Middle East;

permanently ban users that consistently post antisemitic comments to ‘Comment is Free’ and permanently delete their comments from all archives;

employ the EUMC Working Definition of Antisemitism (which is flawed, of course)"

I have attempted to comment on the hijacking of a public forum by vested interests, but my comments have been deleted. I want to make representations to The Guardian itself regarding this matter, but I fear they will be dismissive.